A Heated Story
by esompthin
Summary: Sky High / superpower hs au. wip. Lovino Vargas is a new kid at Sky High with his brother. He has the power to control fire. Only one problem, he hates the heat. Spamano, and other ships. Doesn't actually have anything to do with the movie, just used the school. based off a textpost on tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

Based on a text post on tumblr.

* * *

(Lovi's POV)

Hot. Everything is so very hot.

I don't know where to go to escape the heat. It's all around me. I don't know what to do to cool down. I'm scared. I'm terrified. I'm running, coughing, trying to find a way out of the heat.

I scream into the light of the flames, "Mom! Dad! Feli!" I get no reply. I rush through the halls to try to find them, jumping over burning debris.

Something catches my foot and I tumble to the ground. I look up and see nothing but flames and smoke. Everywhere I look, the flames surround me. I can't do anything to stop it. I'm sweating so much, I can hardly see as sweat falls into my eyes. Maybe it's not sweat. Maybe it's my tears. Maybe it's the smoke. I can't tell anymore.

I scream in pain as the flames overtake me. Another voice screams with me. Feli's voice. He's screaming my name.

My eyes fling open to see my twin brother staring at me, terrified. I suck in a deep breath as I sit up. There's no heat around me. No flames. Just Feli.

Our dad comes rushing into our room. He's holding a bat. Once he sees we're not in danger, he sets down the bat and comes over to us. He sees how shaken we are and he holds us tight. I cry into his shoulder.

"I- I- had another nightmare." I cry.

He rocks me gently, "It's okay… It'll get better." He said soothingly, "They'll go away."

It didn't get better.

They didn't go away.

All the time while growing up, I had these nightmares about that night. I was never able to shake them. If I dreamed, it was about fire, smoke, and death. When I grew to be a teen, Dad just told me to get over it. I stopped telling him when I had nightmares. And I stopped screaming while in them. Instead, I cried. When I'd wake up in the mornings, dried tears would still be on my face.

I wasn't able to go to normal school because of this. Dad home-schooled me and Feli. Then we'd go and help him out on the water. He's a fisherman. When we were done working for the day, Feli and I would swim in the ocean for hours. Everyday. The water's peaceful. It's the only place I don't feel the heat.

When I was eating breakfast yesterday, Dad dropped a pamphlet on the table next to me. Written on it with big letters were the words, "Sky High."

"What's this shit?" I asked around cereal.

"You're new school." He replied. "I won't be teaching you anymore. You'll be attending Sky High as a freshman, starting tomorrow."

"Pass." I said, standing up to leave.

"Lovi, this isn't up for debate. You're going. Besides, you have to watch Feli."

I groan in defeat.

That's how I ended up on some freaky-ass bus with some creepy-ass driver. Feli's sitting by the window, I'm by the aisle. Some brunette in front of us turns around, "You're new here, sí?"

"Sí!" Feli says, "I'm Feliciano Vargas, and this is my brother, Lovino."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Antonio. Just a warning, you might want to use those." He pointed to the buckles on the seats that neither me nor Feli bothered to put on. "The ride gets a little crazy."

Feli buckles himself quickly, while I take my sweet-ass time. When I look up from the buckle, I see Antonio's staring at me. "What do you want, bastard?"

He just smiles and says, "Nothing." And turns around.

I roll my eyes and sink back into the bus seat. The bus driver shouts, "Hold on!" and suddenly we're speeding down this dead end. I grip the seat in front of me and scream as the bus jerks into the air. The students around me whoop in joy. I glance over at Feli whose knuckles are turning white from holding his backpack, which sits on his lap, so tight.

And suddenly, we're flying. I stop screaming after a bit, but my grip doesn't loosen. Feli's staring out the window in wonder and shock as we travel higher and higher. When I finally release the chair in front of me, there's burn marks on it. I look down at my hands and sigh.

We approach a school floating in the air. Feli happily claps as the bus lands. Students who can fly and shit are all floating above us, headed to school.

Feli drags me off the bus faster than you can say 'fuck this.' I stare at the school before us, he runs ahead a few steps, before turning to me and saying, "Isn't this great, Lovi? Aren't you excited? We're finally going to a real school!"

A part of me – a small fucking part – is happy to be out of that house, not having to listen to Dad trying to teach us about history. But all I say is, "How the fuck to airplanes not notice this shit?"

Feliciano laughs and leads me into the school.

So, I guess I'll tell you what's going on, since you're probably some powerless idiot who doesn't get it or anything.

My name is Lovino Vergas.

I now go to a high school for superkids.

I can control fire.

And I hate it.


	2. Chapter 2

So it's the first day of school for everybody. Not just Lovino and Feli. I didn't make that very clear last time, sorry!

* * *

(Lovi's POV)

The first day of school is terrible for anybody. There's no more time for yourself, you're forced to do work you don't want to do, and you're caged inside all day. I get that. Everyone gets that. But for it to be the first day of_ super_ school, and you're a total new kid and you've never been to a real school before in your _life_? Well, that_ really_ sucks.

So you can't really blame me to be a little freaked out while Feli pulls me through the crowded halls. I avoid eye contact with the others in the hall as we walk; the upperclassmen scare the shit out of me. Bigger, older guys who already know how to control their powers? That's something I don't want to mess with.

Freshman have to report to the gym immediately, or some shit. Something about deciding classes. So Feli drags me toward the direction of the gym. As we walk, I see the boy from the bus, Antonio, walking down the opposite way with two other boys; a blonde and an albino.

"That's the Bad Touch Trio;" A girl behind us whispers to a younger girl, "you don't want to mess with them."

"Are they strong?" The second girl asks.

"Nah, just kinda… persistent."

I glance over at the trio. The albino's laughing obnoxiously, while the blonde shakes his head, smiling. When I look at Antonio, I'm surprised to see green eyes staring back at me. Not that I care or anything. It's just, eye contact is weird. Before I even have time to think, Feli's pulling me away.

The gym is nice. Fancy. It has a high ceiling and hard-wood floors. The bleachers all around it go up about two floors. There's currently a little stage set up in the middle of the floor.

Everyone's gathered in a crowd, talking to old friends they've known through parents or trying to meet new ones. Feli's talking, but staying further away from people than he does with me or Dad. Feli's usually_ right next to you_ and you can't fucking breathe. But now, with strangers, he's taken a step or two back.

I stand by myself, at the back of the crowd. Another boy stands a ways away from me. He's got shoulder-length blonde hair, kinda like that guy from the BTT. But he holds himself differently. That other guy was all confidence, and this kid was just barely noticeable.

He caught me staring, which I didn't expect to happen. We both look away and I feel like I have to say something, because everyone is talking and if I don't say anything it'd be awkward. And that's what you do at school anyway, you talk to people, more or less. Right? So I turn to him, stepping forward I say, "Hi. I'm Lovino."

It sounded weird to me, but he didn't seem to think anything of it. He looks up at me in surprise, and says quietly, "Matthew. Nice to meet you."

I can barely hear him. I have to lean a little closer than I want to in order to hear him correctly. But whatever, if the kid wants to be silent, that's fine with me. It's better than Feli always jabbering.

We just stand there in silence, while the rest of the world talks, and it's not as bad as I thought it'd be. School, I mean. Well, so far, it's a little loud and so crowded you can't move two feet, but I mean, it's not _terrible. _Just different. New. Matthew doesn't push for conversation. And I don't care for it. So it works out pretty well, having him around.

I look around the room, observing the strangers. One boy with sandy hair and a cowlick is arguing with another guy with big eyebrows. Feli's currently talking to a tall blonde guy. Everywhere people are conversing. It's like this isn't something weird or strange to them. It probably isn't. Bastards.

A small noise catches my attention. I glance back over at Matthew to see his lips moving. He's pointing to a girl with long, brown hair. I realize, 'oh fuck, he's talking.' And begin to listen in.

"….She's been friends with Kiku for a while. I don't know what they bonded over, but I guess it's some kind of mutual agreement. There's Ludwig, talking to your shadow, he's pretty scary but I think he's nice. His older brother is part of that trio everyone's talking about. Over there is…"

And his mumbles drifted off. I have no idea what the fuck he's saying anymore. Regardless, I wait until his lips stop and I say, "That's great. Thanks."

He smiles and shrugs. I'm about to say something else, something like, 'Now repeat all of that shit again, cuz I can't hear a damn word you say.', when a loud booming noise cuts me off. The sound echoes through the gym, breaking a light as the sound waves travel. Matthew looks horrified and immediately slaps his hand over his mouth.

My eyes find the source of the terrifying noise.

As the blast faded out, everyone stood in silence, staring at the gym teacher, who stood on the little stage. He held out a clipboard and said in a loud tone, "I'm Coach Boomer. And I'm about to put you through Power Placement."

"What?" I whisper to Matthew.

"A test of your powers, basically. It decides if you become a hero or a sidekick." He whispers back.

Boomer keeps talking for a bit. And I start to mentally panic. Testing my powers? I couldn't even ride the bus without burning a seat! Every time I use my powers, bad things happen. I can't stand up there and even light a spark, the whole place would go down in flames. My frequent nightmare flashes in my eyes.

Smoke. Burning. Heat. Flames.

Matthew glances up at me, "Did it just get really warm in here? Or am I insane?"

I feel my skin heat and I try to force myself to calm down, "Ah, no, that's me. Sorry."

Taking deep breaths, I try to focus on the others. Even after two or three people go up, I still can't calm my pounding heart.

My powers are _bad_. I can't use them. I won't.

"Beilschmidt." Boomer calls, and the tall blonde who stood next to Feli walks up. Boomer looks at the name again, then looks up at the blonde. "You have a brother?"

"Um, ja. Gilbert."

"Right on. Name and power."

"Ludwig, and I fly." He says.

Boomer looks surprised, "Really? These are real?" He grabs Ludwig's bicep.

The German just nods, and shifts away from the older man.

The boy with the cowlick calls out, "I- I work out!" Earning a snicker or two from the teens around them.

"You're next comedy boy!" Boomer shouts, making a few flinch. He turns his attention back to Ludwig. Who begins to hesitantly float a few feet in the air. Boomer grins, "Hero!"

Everyone claps for the boy as he walks back to his original spot in the crowd. Feli gushes over him, holding Ludwig's arm. "Wow! That was so cool!" I roll my eyes in disgust.

After a second, the boy with the cowlick steps up onto the stage. He stands to the left of Boomer. "Alfred F. Jones is the name, being the hero is my game!"

"I'll be the judge of that." Boomer says, marking something down. "Power?" He asks without looking up. I watch as Alfred pokes Boomer's right shoulder. Boomer looks up at the boy, "I'm waiting."

"I'm doing it." Alfred says, grinning wildly.

"What?" Boomer asks, confused.

Alfred says, this time on Boomer's left, "Can't you tell?"

Boomer frowns, "Teleporter?"

"Nah, bro!" Alfred laughs, looking at the smiling audience before him, "Some people. I just don't get them. How 'bout you, me?" He asks, turning to Boomer.

"Nope. I don't have a clue." Alfred says, walking in front of Boomer.

The gym teacher rolls his eyes. "Duplicates."

The Alfreds stand with Boomer, one on each side, both grinning wildly. "So? Did we make it? Are we hero-worthy?" One of them asks.

The other holds up his hand, waving it happily, "Oh! Pick me! Pick me!"

"Yes, me?"

"The answer's yes!"

"Correc- oh, hold on, let's see."

The Alfreds turn to Coach Boomer, who sighs and mutters, "Hero."

"YEAH!" The Alfreds high-five, forming into one full person. Alfred bows in front of the crowd of his peers, who cheer for him happily.

"GET OFF MY STAGE!" Boomer, well, booms. The boy stumbles off the stage, crashing to the ground. Coach Boomer glares at him for a moment before looking down at his clipboard again, "Alright… Next is…"

I stop listening, more interested in Alfred's power. I whisper to Matt, "Hey, how many of those duplicates do you think he can make?"

Matthew's hands ball into fists and says harshly through clenched teeth, "Twenty-eight. Exactly."

I shy away from him, shocked at how furious he sounds. Matt glares at the back of Alfred's head. I let the topic drop and turn back to the stage.

That girl with long, brown hair, Elizabeta, turns her arm into pure metal and swings it around with ease. The metal creeps up her arm, past her elbow and up to her shoulder.

"I- I can't stop it!" She says, panicky.

Suddenly Boomer's in action, he says something quietly in a soothing voice to Elizabeta. Then he turns to the crowd, he points to Ludwig and says, "Take her to Nurse Spex. If any teachers yell at you for flying, tell 'em Boomer sent ya!"

The blonde rushes forward and picks up Elizabeta in his arms. He begins to fly out of the gym, with a gust of air blasting in our faces.

The crowd is silent. Boomer rubs his temples as he says, "As students here, you'll learn to use your powers in a way that won't harm yourself. It's okay for you to not understand yet. Not everyone automatically gets it." He picks up his clipboard that he dropped, "Okay, next, Honda."

After the Honda boy goes up, two or three follow afterward. A Greek who freezes things. A Brit who possesses people's bodies, which is creepy as fuck. Is that even allowed? I mean, you gotta be shitting me. That shouldn't be a thing. Ever. Anyway, after him, went some Swiss who turned his arm into a machine gun –how's he reload it?- and his younger sister, who could levitate things.

I silently curse myself for being a Vargas, one of the last letters in the fucking alphabet. But I'm also kinda glad for the wait; I'm still trying to cool myself down. It's not working.

Way before I'm ready for this shit, Feli's name gets called. He happily jumps up on the stage and smiles at Boomer. "Ciao! I'm Feliciano Vargas!"

"Great." Boomer says, not nearly as enthusiastic as Feli, "What's your power?"

Oh shit. He's not really going to? He's going to!

Feli smiles, cocking his head slightly as he says, "Vee~!"

I push forward, through the crowd and shout, "HOLD YOUR BREATH!"

Boomer immediately cups his hand over his mouth and nose as he glances from me to Feli. I stay at the bottom of the stage. Purple gas escapes from Feliciano's mouth and hands, spreading throughout the air.

I look up at Boomer, "Poisonous Gas. Very flammable. Don't inhale it." I pound on the stage floor, shouting at Feli, "STOP IT!"

Feli closes his shuts his mouth quickly, swallowing whatever gas was left in his mouth. "Sorry, Lovi" He mumbles.

I sigh, rubbing my burning hands against my jeans, creating small sparks. My eyes widen and I stumble backwards. My heart pounds, I can hear it in my ears. Dammit.

Boomer pushes some button that turned on the AC or something. Very soon, the air was clean again and the students were gasping for breath.

Coach Boomer turns to Feli, "Hero." Then to me, "You're up next."

"No." I say, backing up, running into Alfred. "I'm not going."

Feli looks confused, "But you have to, Lovi. That's the test."

I stare at the people around me in horror. My mind pictures them with melted faces and burning clothes. I shake my head roughly, digging my nails into my scalp. "No! NO! I won't!"

"Dude, you're smoking." Alfred says. I rip my hands away from my hair, and see my skin is in-fucking-fact, smoking. Alfred reaches out to touch me saying, "You okay, bro?"

I yank my arm out of his reach. Feli's talking to me, but I can't hear his voice. I can't hear anything but the burning cackle of the flames. I can only feel the heat around me. The screams. My lungs are filled with the smoke of that day. I can't see anything. I'm dying! Heat surrounds me. I don't know where to go or what to do. Tears roll down my cheeks, only to evaporate immediately. I suck in a deep breath, trying to focus. But my mind just fizzles out. I can't think! Only feel. Only feel pain and fear.

Then, it's dark.

* * *

Reviews would be lovely, thanks! :D


	3. Chapter 3

To Denka- Thanks for pointing that out, I fixed it! I'll try not to make the same mistake again!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, they make me so happy! w

Okay, I'll shut up now so you can read, bye.

* * *

(Still Lovi's POV)

The thing about passing out, is that you never know how long you're gone. It feels like a second. It feels like forever. In some ways, it's comforting. Not having to deal with anything that the world throws at you for a while. Not having to deal with yourself. Your own emotions. Everything just kinda…stops for a bit.

Sadly, the world hates anything to do with me being content –let alone fucking _happy_, and suddenly, you're forced to wake up. I'm forced to wake up.

I don't want to open my eyes, I can already see the reddish hint of light through my eyelids, and brightness is not something I want to deal with right now.

So I lay there, slowly stretching my stiff muscles as I listen to the area around me. Someone's moving about the room. It's quiet, apart from their footsteps. But even those are soft.

"Hey, you can't stay here all day." A voice finally says.

I roll onto my side, frowning, still refusing to open my eyes. "Why not?"

"This is a school, not a hospital. If you can stand, get out."

At last, I open my eyes. The woman, who I guess is Spex, stands across the room and doesn't look at me anymore. She's busy with some papers in her hands. Slowly, I force myself to sit up, just that action makes my head throb, but I ignore it.

"What happened?" I ask, rubbing my neck.

"Passed out." She says, "You were hot, so I guess you overheated. If not, a panic attack." Spex smiles up at me, "Or possibly both." She holds out her hand, "Lovino, right? Your brothers were in here earlier."

I hesitantly shake her hand back, I'm sure my hand's way too hot for it to be touchable, but she doesn't seem to mind. "Yeah. But… I only have one brother."

She frowns, "Antonio's not your older brother?"

"No…" I stand up, off the bed I was laid on.

Spex looks confused, "Odd. He came in with –who was it? Oh, yes. Feliciano.- and made sure you're okay. They also checked on Elizabeta."

I look around the room, we're the only two there, "So, she's okay?"

"Yeah. Just had to get her to calm down and focus on her powers. Something you should learn, too." Spex said, gesturing to the door, "Get to class, sidekick."

I glare at her, "There's no way in hell I'm a sidekick. I don't take orders from anyone."

"Actually," Spex pokes me in the chest, hard. "You didn't take the test. You don't have a grade for it. You got an 'F'. You are a sidekick."

I suck in a breath. But I_ can't_ be a sidekick. Feli's a hero. If he's a hero, and I'm a sidekick… Then it's just another thing he's better at. Just another way to be the better twin. Even the fucking school thinks he better than me. I close my eyes, sighing deeply. "Okay." I say quietly. "Fine. Whatever." I shove myself away from her, towards the door.

"Lovino."

I stop, turning to look at the nurse. She's looking back at the papers in her hands.

"If you do exceedingly well in the side kick classes, you'll be moved to the hero classes." She glances up at me, "Just so you know."

I pause, before mumbling, "Thanks."

And I'm out the door.

* * *

After walking down the hall a few feet, I realize I don't know where the fuck I'm going. I go to the office and figure out what period it is, and what class I'm in.

The teacher's name is Jonathan Boy. Fucking Jonathan Boy. Mr. Boy. That's it. I'm done with this school. I'm going to jump off the edge of the grounds and fall to my death. I hate public school.

When I walk in the room, the teacher –if you could call him that- is standing in the front, talking about his time as a sidekick.

"And then The Commander and I rushed into the building with the-" He looks up at me as the door closes behind me, "Oh, hello. Do you need something?"

This man-boy-child-thing is nuts. He's wearing a red, white, and blue outfit that has seen many, many better days. His smile doesn't meet his eyes and he obviously hates this school as much as me. Probably more. For now.

"I'm…in this class."

"Oh? Oh! Yes, I got word about you. Um, Lavino?"

"Lovino." I growl, glaring at the man-child.

He holds up his hands apologetically, "Right. Sorry. Pick a seat, we were just having a discussion about the… joys of being hero support."

I look at the class, and I instantly wish I didn't. They're all nerds. And freaks. Like Mr. Boy, but younger. Fuck. I hang my head and walk towards the back of the class. There's an open seat in the back row and I take it.

Once I sit down, I rest my head on my hand. This is where I'll be stuck for the rest of this shitty year. All because I can't think about my powers without freaking the fuck out.

Something pokes my side, making me jump a little. I look over and see Matthew sitting next to me. He smiles and gives a small wave.

I glance up at Mr. Boy, whose continuing on in his little story. I look back at Matt and whisper, "Why are you here?" I'm oddly shocked that little Matt didn't make hero. I don't even know what his power is, and I _swear _he should be a hero. If Feli can be a hero, so can Matt.

"Same as you. I refused to take the test." He says gently, "Just, I was slightly calmer about it."

"Well, not everyone can have my unbeatable skill of spaz-ing out." I mutter, earning a small chuckle from the other.

Even though I'm smiling, my heart still hurts. I can't help but feel bitter about the whole testing system. I shouldn't be in this shitty room with these creepy people. I should be in the _less_ shitty room with _less_ creepy people.

Regardless, I lay my head down and wait for the world to pass me by.

* * *

Feli's being so fucking loud during the bus ride. He keeps talking about his damn hero class and that stupid Ludwig fucker. It sucks ass. Every word he says just makes me madder, which only causes me to get hotter. I glare down at my sizzling hands, trying to ignore him.

Then he says, like it isn't the most annoying thing in the world, "Oh, and I came to check on you earlier. Toni came with me too! Right, Tonio?"

The Spaniard turns around in his seat to look at us, "Yeah, how are you feeling Lovi? Are you okay?"

I glare up at him, "I'm fucking fine. And don't call me Lovi!"

Feli pouts, "Lovi, don't be so mean!"

"Fuck you." I hiss at him.

Feli grabs my arm, whining, "You'll never make friends if you're always mean to people! You gotta be nicer or else nobody will wanna be near you!"

"Good!" I shout, yanking my arm away, "I don't want anyone near me!"

That's not really true. I just don't want anyone to get hurt because they're near me. I don't want something like that to happen again. So Feli, and probably Matt, are the only ones who can be near me. They're the only exceptions. I won't let anyone else get hurt.

Feli's face suddenly brightens, "Oh! I know what'll make you feel better! Tonight, we can have pasta!"

"Whatever." I roll my eyes. Although, fuck yeah, pasta would be the best right about now.

I hear laughing coming from Antonio. I look up and see him smiling down at me. His green eyes pierce into my soul. I feel like he already knows all my dirty little secrets, just by making eye contact. I feel so defenseless, like there's nowhere to hide.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?" I ask harshly.

Antonio smiles brightly, "You."

I stare at him, bewildered, "Excuse me?"

"You're so funny when you're acting all anti-social. It's cute." He says, smiling softly.

My eyes widen in shock, I can feel my face heat up. "W-WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN BY _ACTING?!_ MAYBE I JUST REALLY FUCKING HATE PEOPLE!" I screech. Feli starts to laugh too.

Thankfully for me, the bus just got to our stop. I fly out of that chair, and storm into our home, with Feli following. My face feels so hot. I can't tell if its anger or embarrassment or the flames, but anyway, I'm headed straight towards the water.

"Hey sport, how was your day?" Dad asks as I rush through the living room.

"I fucking hate public schools." I say in one breath, throwing my backpack on the floor.

"That's the spirit."

As I pull the back door open, I take off my shoes and socks. While I walk to the dock, I peel off my shirt. I can hear Feli calling from me, but he soon stops. I can just imagine his and Dad's conversation.

"_Lovi! Come back!"_

"_Just let him cool down."_

"_But I have to brag about how I'm better than him to you!"_

"_Oh Feli, we already know you're wonderful and perfect. Now how bout some pasta?"_

"_Yay!"_

'I hate Feli. I hate him for being a hero. I hate him for always being better than me. I hate him so fucking much.' I think this over and over in my head as I approach the end of the dock. _'I hate school. I hate sidekicks. I hate my powers. I hate fire. I hate the world. I hate people. I hate-' _My blood is boiling with pure emotion. I breathe in as I dive into the water's cool embrace. Just as the wet comfort washes over me, my thoughts go silent.

Water is good. Water is nice, and pure, and kind. Water crushes the heat. I stay in the large lake well after the sun sinks.

When Dad finally comes out to get me, it's past ten o'clock.

"So." He says, sitting on the dock, "How was school."

I don't say anything, so Dad kicks water in my face.

"I panicked." I mumble.

"What?"

"I fucking panicked okay?!" I nearly shout this time.

"Ah." He's quiet for a moment. "You know, your mom wasn't that great at dealing with stress either."

I don't reply. Talking about Mom isn't my favorite past time. Instead, I watch the reflection of the moon ripple against the waves.

Dad stayed silent for a few minutes. Then he nudges me with his foot and says, "I was talking to Feli. He seemed excited." I still don't say anything. Talking about Feli isn't my strong point either. Fuck it, talking in general isn't that easy for me. "So… who's Antonio?"

I feel my body heat up all over again. My face flushes and I feel my breath hitch. "He- uh-"

Dad pulls his feet out of the water, grinning like a bastard he says, "Um, Lovi?"

I glance up at him.

"You're making the water boil."

* * *

I like the idea that Canada and Romano would be buds. Anyone else agree? No? Just me? Okay, bye.

*Whispers* Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Dick shit- (lovely name btw) I needed someone to be the one that couldn't control their powers, as an example. One thing I want to show is how difficult it is for some to overcome their powers and learn to control them, specifically Lovi. I couldn't think of anyone at the time. Although if I re-wrote it now, it would probably be one of the Baltics or Sealand or someone. So I agree, I would picture Elizabeta with better control, but she was the first to come to mind, so she was the one sent to the nurse. But yeah, don't worry, Elizabeta will be much better at controlling her powers later on.

* * *

(Antonio's POV – PLOT TWIST! DIFFERENT POV!)

We meet at Gil's locker. It's the same as last year's, in the Hero Hall. When I walk up, he and Francis are chatting with each other. Francis is standing really close to Gil and they're whispering. The Frenchman is smirking as Gil squirms.

They both look up at me as I clear my throat. Gil grins happily, pushing Francis away. He fist-bumps me, saying, "Toni! Haven't seen you since that last summer party! How's the family?"

"They're doing great." I smile, we chat a bit about my friends and my family. I catch them up on who's come and gone since their last visit.

Gilbert interrupts me mid-sentence as he shouts, "LUDWIG'S A PANSY!"

Ludwig, who was hurrying to the gym, rolls his eyes at his older brother's outburst. Gilbert snickers as we continue to walk.

Francis shakes his head, smiling at the albino's antics. "Mon ami, you really shouldn't pester your brother so much."

"Go suck a croissant."

I zone out on their conversation as I scan the herd of freshman walking towards the gym. My eyes land on familiar golden ones. A little Italian stares at me. I smile and wave a little, excited to see Lovi. He opens his mouth, but before he says anything, Feliciano drags him away.

I'm still smiling when I look back at Gil and Francis. I'm surprised to see them staring at me, equally confused. They look like they're expecting me to say something.

"Um…what?"

"You make a new friend?" Gil asks, raising an eyebrow.

I feel my cheeks heat up slightly, "Well, kinda. We live near each other. I mean, we ride the same bus, so I assume they're near me. And I really only just met them."

"Them? So there's two?"

"Yes, the Vargas brothers."

Gilbert thrusts his hips, grinning devilishly, "Toni's gettin' some!"

Francis playfully pushes Gil, turning to me he says, "This is good. I was a little worried, now that Arthur and his friends are here, at this school, I might spend less time with you two. So it's good that you've found new friends as well."

"Are you fucking serious?" Gilbert says, staring at both of us.

Although, we didn't really hear him, we kept talking about our chances at having more than two friends. Gilbert whistles loudly, causing my ear to ring slightly, "Oi!" He shouts, "If you two leave me, who am I supposed to hang out with? We're the bad touch trio! That means three! There can't be a trio if it's just the awesome me!"

Francis and I smile, "Oh Gilbert," Francis says, "You won't be alone. We'll still be friends."

"Sí, we won't break away from each other just because we've got new people to talk to." I say. "Don't worry, you'll find new friends too."

"Are they invisible?" Gilbert nearly shouts in disbelief, "Cuz, I haven't found them yet! In case you haven't noticed, no one wants to hang out with an albino!"

Francis laughs, "Maybe if you wear a bag over your head it'll be better."

Gilbert punches him in the arm, "Watch it, sidekick, the awesome me will beat you up and then we'll both be screwed!"

I start thinking about what Gilbert said. He's pretty worried that he'll be alone, without me and Francis. I want to find a way to make it up to him. I mean, of course we won't leave him, if anything he'll have more friends too, right? Regardless, I want him to be happy on his first day back, this is a unique school after all. No one should be miserable in it.

I clap my hands happily when I think of what to do. "Guys! I know what we should do today!" I cheer. The two turn and look at me, dropping whatever conversation they were in the middle of. "Let's go to our old stomping grounds! Let's not go to our classes today. It's the first day, we don't need to be there."

Gilbert eyes light up, "Ja! Spain-y's right! Let's go!"

Before Francis could interject, we're both being pulled away by the albino.

Our old stomping ground is a small area in the back of the school. It's an old hallway that no one uses anymore. There's no classes back here due to some explosion or something. Anyway, whenever we didn't want to go to class, or if we wanted to spend time alone with someone, we'd take them there.

The hall's dark, but you can still see where Gil and I etched our names into the walls. Every scratch of graffiti and chipped piece of paint is from us. I'd say it's pretty artistic. Turning a dark, freaky hall into a wall full of stories.

Gilbert pulls a deck of cards out from a crack in the wall. We've stashed lots of things in these walls, and we all know where everything is hidden. Gilbert starts to deal the cards as Francis etches the date into the wall.

We stay in that hall all day, none of us go to our classes. Only when we hear some commotion do we peek out at the world from behind our fortress.

It's Feli, he's running down the hall. He looks so panicked, my heart suddenly sinks as I get up and run after him.

"Feli!" I shout. He stops and turns to face me. Tears are running down his cheeks. "¡Dios mío!" I puff, trying to catch my breath. This boy can run. Does he have superspeed? "What's wrong?"

"I-it's Lovi. He's been in the nurse's office all day." Feli says, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "I think I caused it. He must've breathed my gas or something. It's not the first time."

Panic rises in my chest, threatening to burst out of me and into the world, but I try to keep calm, "Don't worry. Let's go see him. I'm sure he's fine. This school has a good nurse."

"I know." Feli sniffs. "I've been there three times already."

I sigh, slightly amused. "Right. Well, fourth times the try."

We start walking towards the nurse's office. We stay for a while, Feli asks Spex questions that I'm sure she's already answered. As he bugs to poor nurse, I watch over Lovi. His breaths are even and he doesn't look in pain, but his skin is so hot. Not like, attractive hot, like temperature hot. Although it is rather attractive hot too. Anyway, I can feel the heat in the air around him. Or maybe that's just me? Am I blushing? Is that why I think it's hot?

I focus my attention back on Lovi. He looks so cute when he's asleep. He could rob a bank and get away with it because everyone would be so focused on his cute little face, they wouldn't notice the gun in his hand.

I'm not sure how long we stay in the room, but eventually Spex shoos us away. In the hall, I say goodbye to Feli and head back to the BTT stomping grounds. But when I get there, Gilbert and Francis had left. I sigh and finally make my way to my class.

I find myself thinking about Lovi the rest of the day. Even on the bus ride home. I chat with him and his brother a bit during the ride. I'm so glad he's feeling better. I like him sleeping, but I like him away even more.

He's so adorable.

I watch as he storms off the bus with his brother following him. When I look out the window, I'm surprised to see that the Vargas house is not that far away from my own. I could walk there. This new discovery makes my heart skip a beat as I imagine walking to Lovi's house at night and tapping on his window.

I'm sure I'm smiling like an idiot the rest of the ride home.

* * *

As soon as I walk into my family's store, I'm greeted by a chorus of greetings. I smile happily as I set down my backpack near the check out. There's currently no customers in the store; just my mama and our friends.

"A-toni!" Maxie shouts, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Hola chicos y chicas!" I cheer, walking over to my excitable friends. Mama smiles at me from across the store. She's busy stocking the shelves. "Do you want help with that?" I ask her.

She shakes her head, "No, you have fun with the others, I'm almost done anyway."

I hesitantly sit down around my friends. As I pick up Maxie, one of the littler ones, the small group starts to chatter. They quiet down when Pablo, who's rather large, sits up.

"So how was your day away?" Pablo asks, swinging childishly on his chair. "Did you have fun?"

"Oh, yes. It was great to see all my friends again. Francis and Gilbert are doing great." I start, brightly.

Chan jumps on my shoulder, surprising me a little, "Gilley! We haven't seen Gilley since he got Gilbird! Please bring him back! We wanna talk to the snowy-haired one!"

I laugh as the others agree:

"The snowy one! The snowy one!"

"And Gilbird too!"

"I bet he got fat. Gilbird was always an eater!"

"Gilley probably spoiled him rotten."

I set down Maxie and pull Chan off my shoulder, gently setting him on the ground, "Yeah, okay. I'll bring Gilbert and Francis back around. And maybe some other friends too."

The group froze. They stared at me, heads tilted, finally one of them says, "You have other friends?"

Mama starts laughing at my expression. I force a little chuckle of my own, "O-of course I do."

"Who are they?" Pablo challenges.

"Um, well, you wouldn't know them." I smile, trying to find a way out of this conversation. Please, children, just drop it. Stop with the questions! I have friends! I do!

"Because they're not real?" Maxie asks innocently.

"Because I haven't shown them to you yet!"

Oops. Big mistake, right there.

I wince as the young group starts to run about, screeching happily.

"So you _are _going to bring them to meet us! What's their names?"

"I wanna meet them!"

"Oh, oh, have them bring toys!"

"Yes! Toys!"

I sigh, leaning back against the wall. I smile at the happy rugrats, and say, "Yeah, okay. I'll bring them to meet you."

"Yay!" They cheer in victory!

Pablo shuffles his feet excitedly, "What is the name of our new friends?"

I think for a moment, I wasn't in all my classes today, so I haven't met a lot of the new students and freshman. Gil was talking about his little brother joining the school? But I know Ludwig, and he wouldn't enjoy my friends so much. Francis mentioned his friend Arthur? Ah, but they're not on good terms. I think.

I frown. This is harder than I expected. The only people I talk to is Francis and Gilbert. It's not like I don't talk to people, I've just never been close to anyone apart from them. So…who can I bring to meet the little ones?

My mind suddenly thought of the cute little twins who sit behind me on the bus. The bubbly one, Feli, he'd simply _adore _my friends. And it would give me an excuse to talk to Lovino. I want to get to know him better. It seems like the perfect plan; everyone's happy in the end!

"Their names are Lovino and Feliciano Vargas." I say finally. "And I'll be bringing them home tomorrow after school."

The group cheers, jumping onto me happily. I giggle as they tickle me, climbing into my lap. I look over at Mama, she's smiling happily at me. We make eye contact, she shakes her head and says, "Antonio, what if they don't want to come over?"

I look down at the little ones, "Well, then I won't be the only one upset."

* * *

Okay. I love the idea that the members of the BTT only have two friends each; the other two in the BTT. xD

Also, I really like the Prussia/France pairing, so if there's questionable scenes with them, it's because I couldn't hold myself back. But don't worry, I won't make them a thing. Unless y'all want me to…?


	5. Chapter 5

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Denka- I never said Toni was a hero… xD I did hint at his power, but in a very hidden way. Don't worry, you'll find out soon! And you might hate me for it.

Haha, and don't worry y'all, I won't make this a prance fanfic. If I do, it'll be one-sided. It'll be a prucan (ButterflyFlutterCry called it). But now I can't decide between fruk or usuk?

I'll think about it while you read. Enjoy!

* * *

(Antonio's POV)

I walk out into the family store, which is connected to our home. I yawn as I go through my chores quickly. Most of my friends are asleep early in the morning, so I try to be quiet as I move about the store.

"Are you actually bringing some boys over today?" Mama asks from the cash register.

I glance at my Maxie and the others, "Hopefully."

The bus rolls up as I give Mama a quick kiss goodbye. I rush out the door and onto the bus, saying a "Good morning, señor." to the bus driver. As I strode to the middle of the bus, where I usually sit, my smile widens when I see Lovino sitting in the seat behind mine.

He looks up when I approach. I see his cheeks heat slightly as he ducks his head.

"Hola." I say to him.

His brother answers for him. "Ciao, Mr. Antonio!" he begins to chatter, talking about how he had to drag Lovi out of bed this morning because he didn't want to get up. "He said he was sick, but he really just wanted to sleep. Right, Lovi?" we turn to the other twin, expecting a reply.

Lovino just glares at him muttering, "Maybe I am fucking sick. I was in the water all night."

Feli shakes his head saying, "But you're _always_ in the water, why would you get sick now?" Feli turns to me, "I think he just didn't want to go to his class. I think he's still mad about being a-" Whatever Feliciano was about to say next is cut off by a yelp of pain as Lovi punches him in the arm. "Lovi that hurt!"

I snicker as I slide back in my seat, facing forward. I look out the window and see we're already in the air. The bus ride is always shorter with the Vargas brothers.

While Feli and I walk down the hall, him holding onto my arm, he's chattering happily. As always. I smile, but I'm a little zoned out right now. My gaze can't help but drift over to just past Feli's shoulder, where Lovino's walking.

He doesn't catch me staring, his eyes focused on the ground. Feli stops just before the school splits between hero and sidekicks. The three of us stand next to some lockers, as Feli keeps talking. I wait until he stops to I speak up.

"That's great, Feli." I say, having no idea what he was talking about. Might have been sports? "Hey, why don't you and Lovi come over to my home tonight?" I ask, "We can hang out, and I can help you freshies with your homework, sí?"

Lovino snorts, "It's the second day. Who the fuck would give homework?"

Feli and I stare at him blankly. Does he not pay attention in class? Slowly I say, "Lovi, hero students get homework _every day_. No matter what day it is."

He actually looks shocked, or at least surprised, "Are you serious? Damn, am I fucking glad I'm not one of you suckers."

Before I can say anything, a hand pulls me away. I look over at the direction I'm being pulled and see Gilbert. "Gil-?"

He stops in front of his locker. Gil lets his hand drop from my arm as he pulls out his phone.

"Gilbert? What are you…?" I trail off as his message sends. I barely get a glimpse of the words, but they're in German so I don't know what they say. Within an instant of Gil putting his phone back in his pocket, a grinning blonde appears.

"Did you mean it, mon ami?" Francis asks, clutching his cell phone in a death grip.

"Fuck no." Gil says, ignoring Francis's crushed expression. "But if you guys are going to leave me, you at least gotta follow some rules."

I sigh. I was dragged away from Lovi for this. "Gilly, we already said we wouldn't leave you."

"No, shut up. I made a list." The albino says, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. Francis and I glance at each other. "The Rules for the Awesome Me Allowing You to be with other Unawesome Friends."

I look over his shoulder to read the list. There's pencil scratches on the paper and erase marks. Like he spent a long time thinking this over. Gilbert shifts away so I can't read anymore.

"1) Every morning, before you go run off with your boyfriends, we have to meet here. Just like we did last year. No exceptions." Gil says in a demanding voice. Francis and I nod. I'm okay with this, I wasn't really planning on_ not_ coming to Gil's locker every morning.

"2) We eat lunch together. I don't care if you bring your tools to the table with you. Francy-pants always had someone spoon-feeding him last year, so yeah, that's okay." Gil continues.

I shake my head, "Gil, how many more are there? We won't leave you. I promise." I look up at the clock, "We have to get to class."

Gil looks nearly panicked, "I'm almost done. Rule Number 3) Don't tell me about how in love you are with your new friends. Actually, talking about them should be at a minimum. Please."

"Done." France says. "Anything else?"

Just as Gil opens his mouth, the bell rings. I whine, looking from Gil to Francis, "Now we're late!"

Francis nods, "We should get going. Especially you, Gil. You're a hero. You have to be a good student." The Frenchman and I start to walk towards the sidekick hallway. "See you later, Gilbert."

"Rule number four to leaving me…" Gilbert said softly, crumpling the paper in his hand, "Nicht."

Francis is in a different class than me, so I wave bye to him as I walk to my own class. I open the door to the classroom and step in.

"Which was pretty cool on my part- oh, Antonio, good to see you this year." The teacher says, stopping in midway through the sentence.

I smile, "Hola, Señor Boy."

"NO FUCKING WAY!"

I look to the back of the room and see Lovi sitting there, eyes wide. My smile widens immediately as I walk towards the back of the room. I sit down next to the Italian. "Lovi~!" I cheer quietly, "I didn't know you're a sidekick!"

His face flushes bright red, "I- I-"

"Lovi, you're so cute!" I hum at his adorable blush. This only causes his skin to burn more.

"Lovino," I hear someone say quietly from the other side of the Italian, "you're smoking again."

I chuckle happily, resting my chin in my hand as I watch the cute little freshman sputter.

* * *

Nicht- German - don't.

Sorry this one was so short.


	6. Chapter 6

In honor of Mother's Day, I (finally) made another chapter.

That is all. Enjoy reading, friends.

* * *

(Lovi's POV)

This can't be happening. This cannot be happening.

That hot piece of Spanish as- I mean, that total spaz of a bastard is in my class? He's a sidekick? Okay, well, that part doesn't surprise me much. How could that goofy grin do anything in a battle against some mutant alien zombie?

I'm forcing myself to either look at Matthew, which makes him shake in head in amusement, or glare at the scatter of papers on my desk. I feel Antonio poke my arm, but I refuse to look at him. I was already a blushing idiot once this class period. I don't need to embarrass myself anymore.

I sneak a glance at him.

Big mistake.

Those (totally not breath-taking) forest green eyes lock with mine. He smiles at me and I look away.

"Lovi~!" He whispers, poking me again.

"Lovi~!"

"Lovi~!"

I mutter without looking up, "Don't call me that, bastard."

"Lo-vi-no~!" He's practically singing now, tapping my arm in a rhythmic beat.

I glare at him, hissing, "What the actual fuck do you want?"

"You're coming over to my house tonight, right?"

"No." I glace away from his captivating eyes.

His smile falters, only slightly though, "Lovi, you're so mean!"

Before I can answer, Mr. Boy says from the front of the class, "Mr. Vargas, Mr. Fernandez Carriedo, please talk on your own time." As Mr. Boy turns back to the chalkboard, the final bell rings.

"What a wonderful suggestion, Mr. Boy!" Antonio says as the class gets up to leave. He turns back to me, "So Lovi, will you come over tonight, sí?"

I get up as fast as I can, shoving everything I can into my bag quickly. "How 'bout no?" I say, storming out of the room. I don't get far, Toni's following me. He keeps talking as we walk.

"But why not? I want you to meet my friends."

I glare at him, searching for some way to escape him. "Because we literally just met yesterday, you freak!" I said, turning quickly down the hero hall.

"I was talking to your brother-"

"That's nice. Tell the fucker I said 'hi'."

"-and he said that he'd love to come meet all my friends."

"So take him." I say, stopping and turning against him quickly. I poke him in the chest, hard, "You and Feli can go and hang out with whatever 'friends' you have. I'll go home."

He frowns, "But… Lovi."

"Don't fucking call me that!" I shout, stepping away from him, "You're not my friend. Just say away from me." I turn and rush away as fast as I can. I don't think he followed, because when I turn a corner, he doesn't chase after me.

I sigh, leaning against the wall.

"You really shouldn't treat him so bad." A voice says next to me.

I flip it, jumping half a mile in the air when I hear the voice next to me. My hand clutches my pounding heart as I glance over at Matthew. "Holy shit, Matt. Warn a guy before you do that."

Matt mumbles a small, "Do what?", although I ignore it.

Slowly I say, "And I don't know what you're talking about."

The Canadian rolls his eyes, "Yeah, well, if someone noticed me like that…" He trails off, smiling softly. I shake my head, ignoring the heat in my cheeks.

"It's not like that." I mutter. Although we both know it's a pathetic lie. It's obvious there's something there. I mean, maybe it's just my imagination, but it's not really normal to call a guy you just met a day ago cute. So yeah, either Toni is a freak -which he is- or he legit likes me-which doesn't make my heart flutter at all. It doesn't! And that thought doesn't make my face burn even more. Shut up.

"All I'm saying is," Matt says, gaining my attention again, "give him a chance. It's not often someone who's that head-over-heels for you comes around." The quiet Canadian pats my shoulder and walks off. I watch him as he goes, only more confused than I was before we talked.

Feli finds me a second later. He's talking to that German again. When he sees me, he drags Ludwig over towards me. "Lovi! We're still going to Antonio's tonight, right?" He bounces happily as he grabs my hands.

I stare down at the floor past our connected hands. No. There's no way I'm going to that bastard's home. That's not going to happen. There's no way in fucking hell. I'm not going to some stranger's- he is a stranger- home and hang out, just because they asked. That won't happen. I'm going to go home and have pasta and swim in the water and not think about Antonio.

"Yeah. Okay."

Feli giggles happily, "Then we gotta go to the buses, silly!"

Feliciano waves goodbye to that hero bastard and I'm being pulled off to my doom.

* * *

Toni's quiet when Feli and I get on the bus. It makes my skin crawl. He glances up at me and we make eye contact, but I have to look away. Feli smiles happily at Toni as I slide into the seat next to the window.

"Toni! Guess what? Lovi agreed! We're both going to your store today!" He chants happily, leaning over the chair to look at the top of Antonio's head.

Instantly the Spaniard whips around, "Seriously?" His wide, excited eyes meet mine. "¡Dios mío! This is great! Thanks so much, Lovi!" He smiles happily at me. I glance from him, to the chatting Feli, and back to him. I force myself to keep glaring at him, even though his smile makes it very hard.

"Only because Feli really wanted to go, bastard. Nothing else." I say, glaring out the window.

Toni and Feli talk the rest of the ride home. We stay on the bus when it comes to my stop. I watch as my home drives past us. All I want to do is jump out the window and sprint to the water just outside my back yard. I want to smell the scent of fish and moisture. But I don't. My home fades in the distance.

Feli and I get off with Tony at his stop. The driver doesn't say anything about it. Tony's home is on a little corner street, with lots of small two or three story buildings along the block. A small little business district, just a while away from the spacious lake front of my home.

Tony leads us to a little store, there's a little sign that says "Abrir – Open", on one of the windows. Tony walks in and I'm too curious about why I've never been in this store before to actually read the name of it. A distinct smell hits me when I enter. The smell of warmth and happiness. Which, I mean, is dumb. Like, who the fuck wants to smell _that_ every time they come home? It'd make you nauseous.

Tony and Feli are talking while they enter the small store. I look down at a little rack next to the door that holds some magazines. Curiously I pick one up and begin to flip through it.

Tony turns to me, "I still can't belive you're a sidekick, Lovi."

"Don't call me that." I mutter, not looking up from the page about a crocodile hunter. Although curiosity gets the better of me and I ask, "But why the fuck are you a sidekick? And why are you in my class?"

"Ah, I requested Mr. Boy. He's a good man and I like his class. As for being a sidekick… well, maybe my friends can explain that to you." He says, rubbing the back of his neck.

I finally look up from the magazine, "Friends? What frie-"

My question is cut off as Feli screeches at the top of his lungs, "PUPPIES!"

Only then do I look around at the actual store. It's a fucking pet shop. That explains the magazine adds about kennels. To the right of me is the cash register, to the left of the store is some cages with critters sitting in them, sleeping or eating or being an animal. There's two small isles of toys and food and shit. And then in the back, where Feli ran to, is a small caged in area of puppies wrestling.

I drop the magazine in shock. No fucking way. I stare at Tony, who actually looks a little nervous. A bird lands on his shoulder, cooing softly. Tony blushes at it and whispers something in Spanish. I shake my head, no wonder he's a sidekick, "You talk to animals?"

"Sí…" He says quietly. He adds quickly, "Come meet my friends!" He reaches forward and grabs my hand, pulling me towards Feli and the puppies.

I sit down next to Feli, pulling my hand out of Tony's grip, ignoring the way my heart raced at his touch. Tony reaches into the little play pin and picks up a yellow lab pup, "This one's name is Chan." Feli gently takes Chan out of Tony's hands, cooing at it happily.

Tony laughs at my brother, picking up a white pomsky, "This little guy is Maxie." He holds out a squirming Maxie to me. I immediately shift away from the dog.

"Uh, no, I don't want to hold it."

The puppy whines a bit so Tony holds him against his chest. "It's okay, Maxie." He says soothingly. The bird on his shoulder squawks, gaining our attention. Tony listens to the bird for a second before saying, "Right, how could I forget. This is Pablo. He's a cockatoo." He gestures to Pablo, who hops to my shoulder. I freeze at his little talons on my shirt. The bird is supposedly inspecting me before it jumps over to Feli, who giggles and gently pets the bird's head.

"Okay, well, this was fun, but I'm leaving. Feli you can stay if you want, but don't kill anything." I say, standing up. I turn and take a few strides before Tony nearly shouts at me.

"Watch out for Fluffy!"

I hear Tony get up as I go to make my next step. I roll my eyes and mutter, "Who the fuck is Flu-" my eyes look down at where I was about to step. And I lose it. Stumbling backwards, into Tony's arms, I screech, "There's a fucking snake! On the fucking floor!"

Tony's arms wrap around me as he says, "Yes, that's why I told you to look out. You almost stepped on her." His voice says next to my ear. I twist out of his grip and shove him in front of me, rushing to put him between me and the deadly creature.

"That's fucking insane! What if it kills someone!?" My heart won't stop pounding. I was _this close _to being eaten by a snake. "I could have _died_!"

"She's not venomous, Lovi." Tony chuckles, slowly picking up the snake. "Fluffy's a good girl, aren't you?" The snake slithers up his arm and rests calmly on his shoulder.

I glare at it, "That thing is the spawn of Satan." I hiss at it. It hisses back.

"Lovi, don't be rude." Feli says, although he stays further away from the reptile than me, his eyes twice as wide. We both watch as Tony calmly puts Fluffy back into a cage.

"We let her wander when it's just me and mama in the store. She likes to explore." Tony explains, shutting the cage. He looks back at my expression, his face softens, "Don't be scared of her, Lovi. She won't hurt you."

I roll my eyes, "You can't guarantee that."

"Actually I can!" Tony says happily, he turns to Fluffy who's in the cage, "You won't bite him, right Fluff?" The snake sticks out its tongue, Tony laughs saying, "Don't worry he won't." Then he turns to me and says, "She won't bite you as long as you don't hurt her. Animals only attack when they're scared, Lovi. They don't mean to cause any damage; they're just thinking of the safety of themselves and their family."

I don't say anything. I just turn back to the less deadly little monsters and pick up Maxie. Antonio joins us, talking about each of the pets and some that have been adopted or bought. "This store got my friend, Gilbert, to meet his best friend." He says, gesturing to the bird cages, "That one used to be Gilbird's cage before Gilbert took him. They come by every once and a while."

I zone out as Feli starts talking to Toni about Gilbert's little brother. Lost in my own thoughts, I don't even notice that Maxie fell sleep in my lap.

* * *

How many of you are disappointed in Toni's power? You expected it to be really cool?

I'm sorry. There's a reason he's a sidekick, ladies and gents. Please don't hate me. I thought it was fitting.

Also, pomsky's are the most adorable thing in the world. Pomeranian and Husky. Cuteness. Google it.

Happy Mother's Day!

That's all.

Kay, bye.


	7. Chapter 7

(Matthew's POV)

The day after I told Lovino to give Antonio a chance, I got a text message from the Italian. It only said two words, and at first I thought he meant to send it to my brother. But then I realized Lovi probably hasn't met him. I frowned as I replied to it.

Lovino: Fuck you.

Me: What gives me the honour?

Lovino: I went to that idoit's house.

I raised my eyebrows at this. I didn't expect him to go along with my advice. Quickly I type:

Me: And…?

Lovino: Feli got a puppy.

Quiet laughter fills my room as I picture the Italians arguing over a small creature. No wonder Lovino hates me right now. I'm still smiling when I my phone buzzed again.

Lovino: He named it Lorenzo.

Me: That's great!

Lovino: I hate you.

After that day, I noticed Lovino was spending more time with Antonio. He didn't run away from the Spaniard as often, and they walk in the halls together when Toni isn't with his other friends. And speaking of the Spaniard's friends…

I gulp as I see Gilbert Beilschmidt walking down the hall with Francis Bonnefoy. The ablino's laugh snaps me back to the present. Quickly I turn to my locker, trying to hide from the older guys. Okay, I admit, Gilbert _kinda_ takes my breath away. Just, like, a lot. When he's around I get more nervous than usual. It really sucks because I want to just walk up to him and say, 'Hi, I really like you. Let's make out.', but I can't. I can't even say the _first word_, let alone the last bit.

Francis is a bastard. He knows that I like Gil. I don't know how, but he knows. I mean, it's probably not hard if you pay attention, but no one pays attention to me, so no one really knows. Expect for Francis. He leads Gil right to me. I hate him. So much.

Why? I'm currently plotting his death because Francis is dragging the albino right towards me, with a determined look in his eyes. I heard Gil grumble, "Francy-pants, I don't want to meet your stupid boyfriend." My heart clenches at that a little. Francis ignores him completely.

"Ah, Mathieu! Bonjour, mon ami!" Francis says happily as they walk up. I turn and face them, glaring daggers at Francis.

"Hi, Francis." I mumble quietly, trying not to look at the gorgeous albino next to him. I can feel skin redden as I glance up at Gilbert, finding his eyes on me. I look away, forcing myself to focus on Francis.

But the Frenchman has some nasty plan in mind, because he gestures to Gilbert and says, "I'm sure you know of Gilbert?" He grins devilishly when my eyes widen.

"Um, yeah." I squeak, slowly I shift on my feet, trying to find a reason to escape. "I know of him."

Francis smiles reassuringly at me, then he says to Gil, "And I know you know of little Mathieu." Gilbert's pale skin reddens slightly at that. He looks away from me and mumbles something in German. Francis nods his head replying, "Yes, I know.", which causes Gil's face to brighten even more.

"Francis, why are you doing this?" I harshly whisper at him.

He just smiles sadly and says, "He's not mine anymore." Then, louder he says, "And I have to go do things with your brother and Angleterre, and I don't want our little albino to get lonely."

Gil hisses at him, "Ich hasse dich!"

Francis just waves as he runs off calling, "Have fun you two!"

I turn my wide eyes from Francis's retreating form to Gilbert. He looks as miserable as I feel. Slowly I close my locker and say, "Um… I-I have to go to class soon." Because it's all I can say. My face is burning and I haven't even said hello.

The German nods quickly saying, "Uh, ja, me too."

I offer a smile as I begin to walk away. I only get a few steps when I feel Gilbert's hand grab my arm. "Wait!" He said loudly.

I turn back at him, staring confused, "Yes?"

He gulps, slowly removing his hand. "Uh, well, it's Friday and every Friday we have this school wide competition between the students in the gym. It's called Save the Citizen. And the teachers pick who all plays and it's…" Gil was talking so fast. I wasn't really sure what he was saying; all I could focus on was how bright his eyes are and how soft his pale skin looks. He takes a deep breath, hesitating for a minute. His eyes look terrified as he asks, "So, uh, will you sit with the awesome me while we watch the games?"

I blink for a second. He wants to sit by me? I thought he hated me. I mean, he looked so uncomfortable while he was standing there. Doesn't that mean he doesn't want to be near me? I chew my bottom lip as I reply quietly, "Sure Gil, I'd love to."

His face immediately brightens, grinning from ear to ear he says, "Awesome! I'll see you then!"

I giggle as I say, "Awesome."

* * *

The teachers give us no warning whatsoever about who gets chosen for Save the Citizen. Everyone files into the gym, which now has a deadly looking razor in the middle of the floor and large clear walls protecting the stands. I see Gil sitting next to Toni, Francis, and Lovino. Slowly I make my way over to them.

Gil smiles as I sit next to him. Blushing, I smile back.

Eventually the gym is filled and the teachers call up the first four students to begin the first game. It's Ludwig and Elizabeta against Kiku and Sadik. I watch as the game begins. Ludwig tries to fly immediately to the citizen, but Sadik throws Kiku at him. The two collide in the air and crash to the ground. Elizabeta's arm forms into pure metal, and she slams it against Sadik's chest. The Turk gets slammed against the wall.

The fighting is intense and I have no idea who's going to win this. It's so freaking scary. This game makes no since. I look over at Gil, who's cheering happily for Elizabeta and Ludwig.

"Lizzy got so good with controlling her power!" He says, red orbs locked on the girl.

I look back at the game, watching intently. She has gotten much better since a few days ago. Eventually, the time runs out and the citizen drops into the shredder. Even though they all pu good fight, they lost.

The teachers call up the next students for the next game.

* * *

okay so i made this during class right now so sorry if it sucks.

be ready for a chapter all about save the citizen next!


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry it was so short! It's all I could write in class, people were starting to stare!

TheDeadOne28: While I don't think they ever specifically said, 'this is for heroes', they did only show heroes playing it. But it was only one round they showed, between the bullies and Will and Warren. However, the sidekicks were in the audience, and Mr. Boy was talking with Professor Medulla. Therefore, Imma say this is a school-wide thing.

Sorry for taking forever to update! Finals are starting up and I have to pretend to study!

* * *

(Lovi's POV)

I watch boredly as Boomer pulls the harness out of the shredder and attaches a new doll. As soon as the arena is ready for the next round, coach blows his whistle, silencing the crowd. I notice across the gym, Feli's sitting with that hero bastard and Kiku. The Japanese man looks like he's in pain from colliding with the mountain of a man next to him. I see Feli quietly congratulating the stupid hero bastard for his hard work in the game. I roll my eyes, focusing on the teachers.

Professor Mudella stepped forward on the balcony where the teachers stood. "The next disappointments to preform," he said in his annoying voice, "Alfred Jones." He waited as the crowd cheered for the boy. Jones excitedly ran to the bottom of the bleachers. Mudella continued saying, "Settle down you idiotic buffoons. The other will be Feliciano Vargas."

No. No fucking way. Feli can't play this damn game, he can't use his power without killing someone. This can't be happening. But I watch as my stupid brother walks down to stand next to the Jones kid. Mudella steps back, placing his hands behind his back as Mr. Boy steps up, "For my choice, I'd like to see Matthew Williams play." He said. Matt stiffens next to me. Gill cheers, saying something like, 'Yeah, Matty!', but I don't think Matt could hear him. He looks horrified.

"It's okay." I say to him, trying to be encouraging, "You can beat Feli."

He looks me dead in the eye and whispers, "It's not Feli I'll have to fight." Slowly he stands up, making his way down to the gym floor. Alfred pulls him into a hug saying something to the Canadian. Matt shakes his head, but doesn't seem to say anything else.

"My other choice," Mr. Boy says again, he'd been repeating it for a while, gaining some of the students' attention, "uh, he's a little low key, but I think he'd do great if he had a little pus-"

"Yeah, yeah, introduction speech of the year." Boomer interrupts, "The name, Boy!"

Mr. Boy nods, biting his lip, "Yes, right. Sorry. Um, my next choice is Lovino Vargas."

"BASTARD!" I shout, "YOU PLANNED THIS!"

Mudella chuckles, "Obviously."

I don't move, freezing in my spot as I look down at Feli. He's watching me like a hawk, curious as to what I'll do. I can't refuse to do_ this_ as well, right?

"Don't worry, Lovi." Antonio says, placing his hand on my back, "You'll do great!" I stare at him like he's lost it as he gently pushes me forward. Oh fuck. I have to. People _don't_ just not play Save the Citizen.

The entire gym is watching as I walk down and stand next to my brother. He smiles happily at me, hugging me. He whispers in my ear, "May the best brother win."

I can't reply because Feli pulls away and Boomer starts talking to us. I don't think I'd be able to say anything back if I had the chance. Feli'd obviously win. He is the better brother. That's basically what he's saying. _'I'm going to win, so don't even try.' _The crowd is whispering as they wait for the game to start.

Boomer hands us all some bulky padding. I help Feli put his on, before pulling my own on. I groan as the full weight I placed on me. These things are, like, ten pounds. The coach points to the shedding machine in the middle, "Don't fall into the Hospital."

"Why's it called that?" Feli asks.

"Because if you fall in it, you have to go to the hospital. IF you're lucky." Boomer says. "That's the only rule. Jones, Vargas, you're the villains." Alfred complains about wanting to be the hero, but Boomer ignores him, "Williams, other Vargas, you're the heroes. You save the citizen. They stop you." With that, Boomer turns and jogs to his little seat on the side of the gym. Once he's on the umpire's chair, he blows his whistle, silencing the crowd. "Players, take your marks."

I glance at Matt as we jog to our side of the gym. He looks distant, busy thinking. I turn to Boomer and shout, "This is stupid! They're heroes! We can't win!"

Boomer ignores me, shouting, "Play ball!" starting the game. As the timer starts to count down from three minutes, I mentally panic. This won't end well. This will _not _end well.

Matt, surprisingly, is the first to move. He sprints to the center of the gym, heading to the dangling citizen. Before he can get there, Al tackles him.

The two struggle for a bit, until Matt places his feet on Al's stomach and kicks him off. The American lands with a thud. The crowd goes, "Ohhhh!" As Matt gets back up.

"You gonna do something, princess?" Boomer shouts to me. I glare at him and rush towards the center. I see out of the corner of my eye, I see Al form into three different guys. They all grab Matt, who lets out a small squeak of shock. Their fight continues again.

Feli appears out of no-where, suddenly in front of me. I can't stop, so we crash together. He flips us so he's sitting on top of me. I can't breathe as he holds me down. Feli's giggling like an idiot as I struggle to get him off.

I freeze when I hear him say, "Ve…"

Instantly, I hold my breath as purple gas escapes his lips.

* * *

(Matt's POV)

I twist away from Al Number 18's punch. Grabbing his arm, I flip him over me and step on his shoulder. He disappears under me. Number 2 tries to kick me but I jump back just in time. 2's end point is on the small of his back. I force Number 8 in front of me, causing Al Number 9 to hit himself instead of me. I then jab 8's stomach with my knee, causing it to disappear.

With each one I cause to disappear, another three appear. Al doesn't know how to stop. I learned from watching him, all of him, his copies, that they have a spot on their body that will cause them to disappear if hit. I've memorized all of their stop spots.

Number Two rushes towards me, I sidestep and elbow his back, he disappears. There's six or so Al's around me. One of them jumps toward me, I'm too focused on that one to see Al, the original Al, throw a punch at my stomach. I feel the impact before I can think of a way to avoid it. Pain shoots through me as I lose my breath. Al pulls his fist away and punches again.

I can't think about anything but the pain. I can't breathe, every breath I take just gets punched out of me again.

Anger boils inside me. I won't let him beat me. I can't lose to him! My hand shoots up and grabs Alfred's wrist before it collides with me again. Determined purple eyes meet shocked icy blue. My nails dig into his skin, drawing blood. He yelps, jumping back. Another Al takes his place. Number 26, stop spot is on his knee. I go to kick him, but before I can, Al Number 16 grabs my arm. Number 5 grabs my other arm. I glare at them as they hold me tight. I glance over at Lovino, just in time to see him punch his twin.

I'm forced to look back at the Als when they start to punch me again. I push my feet up, using the Al's holding my arms to keep my balance, I plant my feet against Number 26's knees. Simultaneously pushing myself out of 16 and 5's grasps and forcing Number 26 to disappear.

Al growls in frustration as I turn and sprint towards the center again. "Lovi!" I shout, "Give me a boost!"

Lovino looks up at me from around his twin. I can see the panic and frustration in his eyes. I stumble slightly at the emotion he shows in those green orbs. Al tackles me to the ground. I look up just in time to see all hell break loose.

* * *

I don't know how to get Feli to stop releasing that fucking toxic gas. My lungs are killing me. I do the only thing I can think of. I fight my hand out of Feli's grip and punch him in the face. He gasps, letting go of me. I push him off of me and immediately suck in air.

Stumbling to get up, I take the next few steps to the Hospital-shredding-citizen-killing-fucker, but Feli childishly jumps onto my back. I fall forward, surprised by his sudden weight. I turn under him, spitting in his face.

He sticks his tongue out at me. I roll my eyes, pushing to try to get him off again. He doesn't budge. I hate this so fucking much. No matter how hard I try, how hard I squirm and struggle and kick he won't fucking budge. And Feli's just sitting there on me like a little prick, grinning happily like me struggling is the best thing in the world. It's pissing me off.

"Lovi!" I just barely hear Matt's quiet shout. I look up, he's sprinting towards me, with Alfred quickly catching up. "Give me a boost!"

I struggle under Feli with more force now. He still doesn't move. "Get." I hiss, breaking my hands free, "The. Fuck." I push a knee against his stomach. "Off!" I feel the heat form in my arms and make its way through my body. Before I can even think about stopping it, the heat explodes from my palms. Feli screeches in pain and shock as he rushes away from me.

I sit there for a moment, listening to the sudden silence of the gym. I've never heard silence that loud. My eyes search the audience, every expression is the same. Shock.

Feli is laying a foot away, his hair is smoking and his face is slightly burned, but other than that, he's fine. He always had a good fire-resistance. I look up as Matt breaks away from Alfred.

"Six seconds!" He shouts, forcing me to move. I stand up, cupping my hands together to give him a boost. Matt runs towards me, he jumps, his foot landing in my hands. I catapult him in the air. I watch as he grabs the citizen, and flies to the other side of the Hospital. He lands on the ground with a roll. He jumps up to his feet, holding the citizen in his arms and panting heavily.

The buzzer goes off.

No one says a single word. The audience is completely silent. Matt and I make nervous eye contact. He slowly walks over to Al, dropping the citizen on the ground as he walked. The two spoke quietly, they shook hands awkwardly and their eyes simultaneously landed on me.

I gulp, slowly walking over to Feli, who still laid on the ground. I nudged him with my shoe, "Oi, idiot, get up."

His eyes open and stare up at me. Slowly he smiles at me, holding up his hand. I grumpily pull him up. He pats his scorched hair and looks around. "Why's everyone staring at us, Lovi?" He asks, none too quietly.

I roll my eyes and mutter, "Because of our charming good looks."

Feli giggles, poking my cheek, "We are pretty _hot_."

"Get out."

Professor Mudella is the first to speak, "Well, I do think that was enough Save the Citizen for this Friday. Everyone go back to your class." Finally noise starts to lift from the audience, quiet murmurs and the shuffling of feet fill the air. The students slowly make their way out of the gym. I pull off my protective gear and help Feli with his again.

When I look up, Boomer, Mr. Boy, and Mudella are all standing next to us. Matt and Al are a few feet away. Mr. Boy shoos them off, telling them to go back to class. When Al starts to object, the other teachers step forward. Eventually everyone is gone except for me and Feli and the three adults before us.

"I'll tell Principle Powers about this little discovery." Mr. Boy says.

Boomer looks at me, "How long have you been able to do that, pipsqueak?"

"All my life." I mutter.

"Who's your parents?" he asks.

"They were both normal." Feli says. "Maybe if Mom was a super…." I flinch and he trails off.

"Then how did you two become super?" Mr. Boy asks, not noticing our expressions.

"I don't fucking know." I reply, getting annoyed.

Mudella speaks up then, "It's rare for supers to be born from normals. But we have to come from somewhere." He then gestures towards the door, "We do have classes to attend to, Jonathan. Let's hurry this along."

"Right. Well, uh, Lovino. After that…display. We agreed it's time to move you up into the hero ranks. Starting Monday, you'll be in Professor Mudella's class."

"No." I say, stepping away from them slightly, "I don't want to be a hero if it's just because of my power."

Boomer interjects, "You know, you're the first fire entity we've had in what? Five years?"

I look from him to Feli, who was calmly holding my hand. "Who was the last one?"

"A real hot head." Boomer dismisses.

Mr. Boy speaks up, "Uh, Warren Peace."

"Warren Peace?" I ask, my eyes wide, "_The _Warren Peace? He came _here_? To this shitty school?"

Boy frowns slightly, "You know of him?"

"He's my hero!" I shout. As soon as the words leave my mouth, I blush and look away. "I mean, um… He's so good with his powers and…."

"And you needed someone to look up to." Mr. Boy says. "It's okay. We've all been there."

Professor Mudella stares at him, bewildered, "I haven't. I've always been brilliant."

"Same here." Boomer says. The coach looks at Mudella and says, "Sidekicks. Honestly."

Mr. Boy sighs, forcing a smile he says, "We'll give you the weekend to think about this."

"And on Monday I expect to see you in my class." Mudella says, walking away. Mr. Boy gives us one last glance before he rushes to keep up with the other teacher.

"Lovi?" Feli asks, staring at his feet.

"Yeah, Fels?"

"Sorry I made you use your power in front of the entire school." He mumbles.

I sigh out of my nose and grip his hand tighter, "It was going to happen eventually." I glance down at my fingertips in my free hand. They don't look like they could melt off your face. Feli's lucky. Part of his power is heat resistance. He probably didn't even feel my blast. Not badly at least. But if that was Al or Matt…

Boomer glances at us. He yells, using his sonic boom voice, "GET OUT OF MY GYM!"

Feli and I scramble away from the scary-ass coach.

* * *

Okay. That's all I'm putting for this chapter, because i seriously have to study for those freakin finals.

Please review! Sorry for making you wait awhile!


	9. Chapter 9

I am so so so sorry for the long wait. I had finals and then my computer broke and things got out of control a bit. This is a really short update, i'm sorry, but i wanted to update before i went to Florida. Anyway, i haven't abandoned this fic. i have so much planned. thanks for being patient! okay, here you go. next will be some more of Gil. that's all.

* * *

(Lovi's POV)

I've been replaying those moments for the past four hours. Soaking in the ocean of my thoughts, always being threatened by drowning, but still always coming back to that one moment where I lost it.

I didn't notice when the rain started to poor. The drops land on my skin, cooling it slowly. The water ripples around me with every drop. The subtle _plink_s of water crashing to the floor is the only sound I hear.

If I didn't punch Feli, he wouldn't of stopped his gasses. If he didn't, would I of used my fire? That would have burned the entire building down. What if I did? How many would have survived? Maybe the ones that could fly, but the others? How many students would that be? Hundreds...

I shudder and dunk my head under the murky water, sighing miserably. I can't help fearing what could have been. What if Feli was attacking Matt? Then that idiot hero would've been the one burned, and it wouldn't of been just a scratch for him. He would have died. Actually, they would've died. _Both_ Matt and Al. Matt couldn't breathe Feli's gasses. It's poisonous for him, but for me, well, I'd just throw up everywhere. And then Al would be burned to death. Then it would've been a whole different kind of silence.

I remember the first time it happened. The first time Feli used his gas on me, I mean. Back when mom was around. Before that night. My skin starts to sizzle at the memory, causing the water around me to boil.

I resurfaced, watching the trees as they swayed in the wind and the boats rock gently in time with the storm. How can they be so calm in all the chaos? Trees, they just stand there and take it. They don't complain about the rain. They don't run away. They don't get scared shitless at the thought of a storm happening again. Fuck trees. Why can't I be like a fucking tree?

"If you stay out there any longer, you'll catch a cold."

I jump at the sudden voice. Turning, I see Dad standing on the deck, holding an umbrella to shield him from the rain. Lorenzo splashed happily at his feet. I shrug halfheartedly, "Takes a lot to cool me down."

He laughs, "Understatement of the year. C'mon, boy. Your brother made dinner."

I sigh, wishing only to stay in the water longer. Slowly I pull myself out of the water and onto the deck. Lorenzo barks at me while I shake my hair dry. It was pointless, since the rain just re-soaked it. I growl in frustration as the dumb dog shakes himself, mimicking my motions, sending water droplets onto my legs.

"Mutt from the pound." I point at him accusingly. He barks happily, licking my finger. I roll my eyes and storm inside. The last thing wanted was to burn that damn dog by accident.

As soon as I step inside, it feels like the freezing water holding onto my skin, disappears. The air heats around me. I sigh, already missing the cold. Thunder booms outside, I glance back at the trees and boats and the water. If only I didn't have to go back to that damn school. If only today never happened. If only that _other_ day never happened. If only I was normal. If only. If only...

* * *

When I go to bed at night, I feel the heat of flames and death sink into my skin. No, wait, it goes past my skin. It goes right into my fucking soul. It worms its way into my veins and takes over my entire being. I can't escape it, because it becomes a part of me. This heat, you could say it warms my heart. But if you said that I'd fucking punch you. Anyway, this burning…It's a feeling I'm used to by now. A feeling that never really leaves. A feeling that destroys everything it touches. And it really likes touching me.

I clench my eyes closed, hoping that tonight will be different. Hoping that, just once, I could rest in peace. That maybe, just maybe, I could have a dream that doesn't involve_ that_ night. Or that I could sleep with no dreams at all.

But sadly, the world hates granting my wishes and that nightmare that haunts my sleep begins to stir.

* * *

And now to Florida.

So sorry again for the wait.

Bye!


	10. Chapter 10

Suppositively, it's not the first time Save the Citizens was life-threatening. If you remember during the scene in the movie, Warren nearly suffocated due to the air vortex that Speed created. So yeah, it's a sucky school in the safety department.

(Matthew's POV)

School ended shortly after a speech by Principal Powers. We don't know anything about Lovi or his brother. I don't think they'd get in trouble for that. I mean, it was the teachers' fault. If their students aren't ready then they shouldn't force them to fight like that.

I'm really worried about them. More Lovi than his brother, actually. His brother looked fine, but Lovino, no pun intended, looked fired up. While we left the gym, he still looked a little panicked and stressed. I doubt he planned to try and set his twin on fire. Doesn't really seem like a Lovino thing to do. I tried texting him, but he didn't reply. I just have to believe that he's stubborn enough to let something like this bother him.

* * *

Not even two seconds after we stepped into our home, Al started complaining about being hungry. He raced to our kitchen, like he always does. I followed more slowly. When I entered the room, my brother was shoving food down his throat like he'd been starving in the desert for the past three days. I look over at the counter and notice a letter left by our father. He'll be home late and expects me to keep an eye on Alfred. As usual.

I frown at him as he chugs milk from the container. "Stop it. You're making a mess of the kitchen."

"Sorry bro. I'm just like killer hungry, you know? I had to play Save the Citizen."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah. I know. I was there and I played against you."

He nods, opening a bag of potato chips. He talks while shoveling chips into his mouth. "Oh yeah. Forgot since I was busy being the heroic villain and stuff."

Getting frustrated, I push him towards the door forcefully. "Out. I'm making pancakes."

Alfred salutes me, "Thanks, 26."

"I'm not one of your clones!" I hiss furiously. "And you have 28 of them!"

He stares at me blankly, "You're…not? Cudda sworn you were a copy of me. Huh. Then who are you?"

"Matthew! Your brother!" I nearly shout. He laughs apologetically, patting my shoulder, mumbling some kind of excuse. I kick him out of the room again and close the door on his face. Sighing I turn back towards the kitchen.

It's not the first time someone thought I was one of his stupid doppelgangers. One time even Arthur thought I was him. That conversation was kinda awkward. I promised Arthur not to tell anyone what happened. It makes no sense to me. We hardly look alike.

I huff as I wrap an apron around myself. I let my mind wander as I get out the pancake batter and the pans. Not that long later, I'm waiting for the batter to brown as it lays against a hot skillet. Flipping one pancake over, I'm startled to hear the doorbell.

'_That jerk ordered pizza.' _I think furiously. Al probably forgot I was cooking pancakes for dinner and ordered pizza for himself. The doorbell rings again. Angrily slamming down the spatula onto the counter I storm towards the front door.

Just as I reach for the handle, the bell rings _again_. My patience gone, I yank the door open and shout, "Your services aren't needed!"

I open my eyes, not realizing I closed them while shouting. And what I see makes my heart drop. Standing there, on my front porch, was not a pizza delivery boy. Instead the man before me was a snowy-haired upperclassmen.

"G-Gilbert!" I squeak, my eyes widening and my face burning. Oh my god, I just shouted at Gilbert that I didn't need his 'services'. Someone _please_ kill me.

He stares at the ground and asks quietly, "Do, uh… um… Do you…"

My heart flutters at what my imagination assumes is the end of that sentence. I want to shout, 'Yes!' as loud as I can and jump into his arms and kiss him in the rain.

Except, it's not raining. And he doesn't ask what I think he asks.

"Do you know where Alfred lives?"

My heart stops. A lot less enthusiastically I mutter, "Yes."

He kinda just stares at me, expecting me to continue. I blush as we make eye contact and mumble a small, 'excuse me' and promptly close the door in his face.

Sighing I lean against the door. He didn't come here for me. Of course he didn't. Rubbing my tired face I shout, "Alfred!" I can hear his footsteps down the stairs. I look at him between my fingers as he strides up to me.

"Yo."

"Why is Gilbert here?" I whisper.

"Huh?"

"I mean, it's not like I have a problem with it, you can bring anyone over you want and you always do anyways, so it's not really much of a problem except for, oh yeah, I like him is all." I say so fast that even I can't understand half the words I say. Al stares at me, smiling in a 'wtf?' kinda way.

"Dude, when I said 'huh?' I meant I couldn't hear you. Speak up next time." He grins at my red face. The doorbell rings again. I press myself against it in an attempt to keep Al from opening it. We end up in a small slapping fight before he simply picks me up and moves me out of his way.

I stick my tongue out at him as he turns back to the door. When Al opens the door, Gil looks like a little more prepared, like he was planning what to say if it was me again. His face falls slightly when he sees Al.

"Hey, man. Ready to work?" Al says, not noticing my discomfort or Gil's confusion. He steps out of the way for the albino to come inside. Gil nods, mumbling 'ja.'

Alfred only now decides to know who I am. "Gilbert, this is Matty." I flinch as he uses that stupid nickname. "Matty, this is Gilbert. If he says sompthin weird, it's cuz he's German."

"Prussian." I say.

"Bless you." Al grins.

I glance from him to Gilbert. "So, um, what's up?"

"Oh, we have to do a project. It's due Monday and neither of us wanted to do anything on Saturday or Sunday. So we're gonna do it all tonight." Al explains.

"When was it assigned? How much do you have to do?" I ask, trying to find out how long the Prussian will be in my home.

"When was the first day of school?" My brother asks.

"Monday." I roll my eyes. Five days ago, it's not hard to remember.

"It was assigned then. And how much do we got done, Gil?"

I look at Gilbert and he shuffles his feet saying, almost embarrassed, "We, uh, we wrote our names on the rubric. And that's about it."

Alfred frowns, "Huh. Yeah, we do gotta get a bit done." With that, he forms about six duplicates. I recognize them instantly. Their numbers, their weaknesses and their little quirks. He starts giving them jobs to do. "Four, go find my history book. I have no idea where it's at. So good luck. Nineteen, my laptop should be downstairs, near the fireplace go get it."

"That's my laptop!" I hiss, "Yours is under the desk in the office!"

"Right." Al says, turning back to nineteen, "Go get Matty's laptop. Its keyboard isn't sticky." I groan as he continues, "Ten, take notes."

"Ten has terrible handwriting. Make Twelve take notes. Also, Four wouldn't be able to find his hand if it weren't attached to him. Have Three help him. Not to mention, your room is a sty, have twenty-three to twenty-six clean it really quick."

"Good idea, twenty-something." He said, gesturing to the others. The Alfreds eventually figured out what their job was and scattered throughout the house. "Twenty-something, call dad and tell him I got someone over. Thank."

I throw my hands up in defeat, I can never win around Alfred. I'm always, _always_ just a clone. "Whatever, you guys do whatever you want. I'm having dinner."

"Coolio." Alfred said while leading Gilbert upstairs. I have to ignore the feeling of upmost uselessness when Gil doesn't even look at me. I shake it off as best as I can and head back to the pancakes.

* * *

After about three servings, I cave and make plates for Al and Gil. They've been working so hard upstairs, after all. Adding chocolate chips to the batter, I make new pancakes for them. I remember to take off the apron just after I make the plates. I wouldn't want to look like a maid or something around Gil. That_ might_ be more embarrassing than talking about his 'services'.

As I head up the stairs with two plates of pancakes in my hands, I hear soft music playing. I know Alfred likes to listen to music while he works, so it doesn't surprise me. Stepping close to the door, I stop when I hear the distinct laughter of a certain albino.

"No way! You like him?" Gil says between giggles.

"Well, yeah." Al says a little defensively.

"But he's_ so_ unawesome!"

"No, he's hella cute. Seriously!"

That only makes Gilbert laugh more. I picture him sitting on Al's beanbag, holding his stomach as he laughs about Alfred's crush. The thought makes me smile, until I hear:

"Well, who do you like? Huh? Is it that Frenchie guy you and Arthur are always with?"

Gil's giggles stop and I press my ear against the door in hopes to hear what his reply is. No, it's not Francis, right? The Frenchman told me that he doesn't 'have' Gil anymore. I mean, I know they were together for a while, but that was in elementary school. There's no way they still like each other. Right?

"Nein, it's not Francy-pants." Gil says softly. I don't hear what he says next, but I almost drop the pancakes because I was distracted by their words. Cursing slightly, I balance the plates as I open the door and walk in.

Al is spread starfish on his bed, tossing a football into the air and catching it. Gilbert is on Al's beanbag on the floor, petting a small, yellow bird. In the opposite corner of them, is Al's copies, working on the project.

I sigh, "Working hard?"

"I am." Al says, gesturing towards the corner of slaves that haven't even looked up. I almost feel sorry for them, if it weren't for a) they're still Alfred and b) I'm still sore from when some of them punched me earlier.

I shake my head and hand him his plate of pancakes saying, "I'm almost regretful of making these for you now."

"Yummy!" He says childishly, "Dude, I'm totally going to hug you!" He starts to get up, but I stop him by pointing a fork in his face.

"No, really. That's okay." Alfred's hugs always end with someone getting hurt.

I cross the room to hand Gilbert his plate. My skin tingles when our fingers brush as I hand him his plate and fork.

"Danke. You really didn't have to." He says quietly. I take a step back, uncomfortable at the closeness of his proximity.

"Um, y-your welcome." I mumble, shoving my hands into my pockets. "So, um, how much more do you have to do?" I turn to Al who simply shrugs. He squints his eyes, which is how he focuses on the clones.

"Might be an hour or two longer. They really suck at productivity." He says. Which makes since, because _Al_ sucks at productivity. I jump slightly when he throws a pillow at one of his clones. "Hey! Six! Stop flirting with Nine! I get that I'm hot but stop it! You're the same person! It's weird!"

The room is silent for a moment, as Al glares at, well, himself.

I glance back at Gil, who quickly turned back to the pancakes in his lap and say quickly, "Well, I'll let you get to it. I guess. Good work. Kinda. Bye." And I rush out of the room.

As I leave, I hear Gil say, "Holy fuck. Dude, your brother makes the best pancakes in the world. It's gotta be illegal to have pancakes this good."

I smile at that compliment for the next five years.

* * *

After cleaning the kitchen, I plonk down on the couch for a little relaxation time. Cocooning myself in a blanket, I turn on the TV. A game of hockey is on, much to my pleasure.

Neither is my team that I always root for, so I watch for entertainment more than for obsession. I grin as a guy was slammed against the wall painfully. Another player stole the puck from him while he was stuck against the wall.

"Are you winning?"

I jump a mile high at the sudden voice in my ear. Clutching my heart I whimper, "Maple!" I turn my head to see Gilbert's eyes gazing into mine. Except his shaggy white bangs weren't in the way. His hair hung under him because of gravity pulling it down. I tear my eyes away from his to let them wander up his body to find that, yeah, he's hanging from the ceiling.

"You're… upside-down." I mumble, staring at his feet that are magically sticking to the ceiling. He snickers and my eyes lock with his once again.

"Ja, I'm a wall-walker. Luddie can fly and I walk on walls." Gilbert explains proudly. The whole thing makes me think of that Spiderman kiss scene and my mouth goes dry. I remember those movies from when Al made me watch them with him. But, that's just a movie. Gil wouldn't do that.

"Can… can you not do that right now?" I squeak, shifting away from him.

His smile falters slightly but he covers it up with a laugh saying, "Ja, ja, totally." And suddenly, his feet aren't holding him up anymore and he lands on the couch next to me. He lands on his back, thankfully, but his head is now kinda sorta on my lap.

'_OH MY GOD THIS IS NOT BETTER!' _I mentally scream, my face practically burning.

"You did really good today." Gilbert says, smiling at me and NOT MOVING.

"Y-y-yeah?"

"Hmm-hm." He hums, closing his eyes slightly. "In Save the Citizens. Totally kicked Alfred's ass."

"T-thanks." I gulp, wanting to move but scared to do so.

"You seem to know more about his powers than he does." Gilbert hums, looking back up at me with those piercing red orbs.

"Y-yeah. He can- he has the power to- make fifty of those duplicates, but he's always too distracted to focus and, and do it. Or something." I slowly mumble out my words and I must be dreaming because there is no way Gilbert is laying on my lap and holy crap I'm dead. Al actually killed me in that game and everything afterwards was just a dream. This isn't real. "I-isn't he wondering where you are?"

Gil snorts, "No. He's too busy talking to himself. 'Sides, I left Gilbird to watch over him." He adds, quickly, "Gilbird is my bird. I got him from Tonio. Uh, the Spanish guy I hang out with… used to hang out with."

I nod, smiling slightly, "I know Antonio. He's in my Hero Support class. He sits next to Lovino."

Gilbert makes a face at that and mumbles something in German. We sit there in silence for a minute while I think of what to say or do or anything. Gilbert shifts his head slightly, and I freeze under him. Literally this is not happening.

"S-so, um, what is your guys's project about?" I nearly blurt out. When I look back down at Gil, his eyes are closed and he looks so peaceful and at ease. Like he isn't on my lap and is talking to a friend and not me.

Gilbert mumbles his answer so quiet not even I can hear it. I lean closer and say, "Excuse me?"

He lazily opens one eye and instantly pushes into my legs, attempting to get further away from me. "I-I- I said, that- that our project is about the, uh, the probability of the likeliness of the theory of Power Dismantlization being legit."

"Dismantlization isn't a word." I giggle.

"Maybe not in English. But there's a bajillion languages in the world. Dismantilzation could be a word in one of those languages." Gilbert says, his pale ears turning a shade pink.

"Bajillion isn't a word either." He just growls at me as I continue to giggle. "Try, try 'The Legitimacy of the Theory of Dismantling Powers'. Have that be your title."

"O-okay." Gilbert nods, looking away slightly. "For the record, Alfred came up with the original title."

"I'm sure." I roll my eyes. Only he would think that title made since. "So, what is the legitimacy of the Theory of Dismantling Powers? Or better yet, what_ is_ the Theory of Dismantling Powers?"

"Oh, well the theory is that someone, somewhere, has the ability to dismantle other people's powers. Basically. If they don't have the power naturally, they obtained it through some sort of machine. It would work in the same way that doctors draw blood. Except once they take it, your powers gone forever." Gilbert explains.

"Sounds pretty random. What made you pick that topic?"

Gilbert looks up at me sheepishly and murmurs, "A comic book…"

I laugh, "Seriously?!"

He nods and tries to defend himself, "It looked really plausible in the book!"

"Oh~! Big word!" I tease, still giggling.

"We've been using tons of 'big words' in the past five minutes!" He laughs, coving his eyes with his arm. I laugh with him, wrapping my arms around my waist.

"What's so funny?" We both stop laughing when we hear Alfred's voice.

"Hey! Sorry I left! I had to stretch my legs a bit!" Gilbert says, sitting up so fast I have no idea how he didn't get whiplash.

Al just kinda stares at him for a second before breaking a grin and saying, "Yeah, it's okay, bro! Your little chick-thing just started to creep me out a bit." He pointed to his own shoulder, where Gilbird sat, obviously staring at Alfred's face.

"Way to be subtle, Gilbird." Gilbert muttered, standing up off the couch. He glances back at me for a second before turning back to Al and saying, "Sorry, your shadow just looked a bit lonely and I decided to pity it."

"A fair response. C'mon, I think I have some candy under my bed. You want some?"

"Hell yeah!"

Right. Of course. A shadow. It wasn't like he wanted to spend time with me or anything; he was just bored. I stare at my hands in my lap. My lap that's still warm from Gilbert's head resting there. I bite my lip to keep from screaming. There's no way that just happened. I'm a fool to think he was actually enjoying himself, talking to me. I pull my knees up to my chest and slowly lift my eyes to the TV screen. Some team just scored. Yippee.

As they walk back upstairs, I hear Gilbert say, "How much research have you found?"

"I read another chapter of 'Spider-Man vs The Talent Thief'."

"Nice!"

"Hey, will you wear a Spider-Man outfit and hang off the walls while we present it?"

"Nein. Have your duplicates do it."

"No fair!"

I stay silent the rest of the night. Once I know they're both in Alfred's room, I sneak upstairs, into my room and lock the door. I hug my stuffed polar bear and slowly drift to sleep, honestly believing I've fallen for a complete asshole. Which doesn't really surprise me. I've always had sucky judgment.

Which _still_ doesn't surprise me.

Shadows don't make decisions on their own.

They just follow their leader.


	11. Chapter 11

So imma just throw in different POVs whenever I want because I'm the author so that makes me the boss and boss says Francis gets a chapter now. And its gonna be Prance. Cuz im the boss. Step down, Spain.

* * *

(Francis's POV)

The freshman are so cute. I remember the BTT's first year at Sky High. Two years ago, I was short then and quiet sensitive about it. The other two just had to make a joke about my height and then I wouldn't speak to them for hours. Gilbert was taller than me at the time, but it wasn't long until I outgrew him. One summer's growth spurt can make a huge difference, thankfully.

Back when it was the three of us against the world, when we were the confused little Freshies walking into the world of superpowers and legacies. It was terrible. It was exciting. It's been pretty exciting ever since.

I remember having to go throw Power Placement. And suddenly, we were separated. Gilbert went one way, to the heroes, and Antonio and I went the other way, to the sidekicks.

Gilbert went before me, all he had to do was run up a wall and suddenly everyone thought he was, well, awesome. His smile is something I'll never forget. For once, everyone thought he wasn't some albino freak. If only he knew how I still felt about him, I hadn't re-confessed to him just yet. He thought my emotions faded away and I only see him as a friend. If only he knew how wrong he was. If only he felt the same.

He was grinning ear-to-ear as he walked back to me with the title of 'Hero'. I smiled softly at him, wishing he could feel this happy all the time. I spaced out a while, listening to Gilbert talk about his hero status and his 'awesome five meters', which I wouldn't mind measuring myself.

"Bonnefoy!" Boomer called me up. I winked at the girls in the front row as I passed them, causing them to blush a bit. Boomer rolled his eyes, "What's your power, Romeo?"

"I speak the word of l'amour!" I said, blowing a kiss at Gilbert, who just rolled his eyes. The girls around him squealed, assuming I meant them. Oh well, at least someone enjoyed it.

"Which means?" Boomer taps his foot impatiently.

"Exactly what I said!" I sound hurt, placing my hands on my aching chest.

"Sidekick." He said.

"I suggest you reconsider, mon ami." I say quickly, attempting to come up with an argument against the coach.

"I suggest you get off my stage." He shouted, causing me to stumble back.

Straightening myself, I give a small smile and say, "Very well, then." I walked back towards were Antonio and Gilbert stood.

Ivan went up after me. He didn't say anything really, but he smiled at the coach while he spoke. After Boomer asked him what his power was, the Russian simply whispered in his ear. Boomer's face fell into one of shock and horror. The coach shivered and said, "Hero. But you're not allowed to use your power on school campus." Then as an afterthought he said, "Or at all."

Ivan simply chuckled and walked back to where his Baltic friends trembled.

After a few other students Antonio's turn came up.

"Power?" Boomer muttered, tired after a Korean kid started creating things out of thin air. It was quiet a funny sight, watching the childish boy continue to form stuffed animals and random objects appear, just to claim that he invented them to begin with.

"I can communicate with animals." Antonio said proudly. His shoulders were square and his back was straight. He was not ashamed. I shake my head, does he even know what shame is?

"When would that be relevant in a fight?" Boomer deadpanned, already writing 'sidekick' on his clipboard. Antonio shrugged, smiling despite the situation.

"Well, what if there was a fight at a zoo?" Antonio replied, honestly believing it was a legit problem. Penguins can be pretty troublesome.

"SIDEKICK!"

Gilbert was more shocked by the fact than we were. Or, more likely, he was shocked by the fact that he was separated from us. I felt my heart break at his expression. Well, more like crack. I felt my heart crack at his expression. You can't break a heart that's already broken. Gilbert does have a talent at doing things to my heart. And I have a talent for falling for him over and over again. Despite whatever he does, I always come back.

Even though at the time he didn't say anything at the time, I know he was troubled by the sudden lonesomeness. He made an extra effort for us to spend anytime we could spare together in our little claimed land of our 'stomping ground'. Even if my grades suffered, I never told him no.

I remember when we had to play Save the Citizen for the first time. It was much less deadly than with the Vargas brothers. But fire elementals are always deadly, it's in their nature.

My partner got mad at me, and accused me of letting Gilbert and his teammate win the game.

Which I would never do.

But if I was holding Gilbert down and time was running out and there was no way they'd win and then I just suddenly, accidentally, slip and let the albino go so he can save the citizen and win and then feel happy like he deserves to, then you know, that's not my fault. I'm sure you understand. Accidents happen.

Regardless of all of my attempts to woo the albino, I know it's all in vain. When he looks at me, his color is blue, which is not the color I want. Blue is the second purest kind of love, after family love. It's simply friendly. No matter what I do, his color is always blue. I can't get it to change to red or even purple.

But I saw it one day. One sunny Saturday, I was at a park with Arthur, Alfred, and Matthew. Gilbert came up to me, saying Antonio wanted to see us. While I was saying goodbye to the three, I saw how Gilbert looked at Matthew. Even worse, I saw his color and I knew he wouldn't bother amusing me anymore.

One time, when we were young, the Prussian agreed to date me. It was one of the best times of my life. But it was short, only two weeks of being allowed to call Gilbert 'mine'. Maybe that's why I'm okay with giving him away to the little Canadian. Because Gilbert wasn't ever really mine to begin with. It was all just for fun. For entertainment, and once he got bored of it, he didn't want to date me anymore. Or maybe he just felt awkward.

Either way, I still wish his color would just change.

* * *

i sorry. i just wanted to do a bit about my one-sided prance ship... sorry.

now i'll start working on an actual chapter about the plot.

...wait, there's a plot?


End file.
